Here's an Important Reason Why You Should Never, Ever Smoke Pot and Drive

A new report from Colorado, where marijuana is legal, offers some chilling statistics

Recreational pot is legal in eight states, including Colorado. But could that be coming with a risk? According to a new report from the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area agency, pot-related driving deaths have spiked in Colorado since the state legalized the drug in 2013.

When crunching the numbers on traffic fatalities, the researchers discovered that the number of marijuana-related traffic deaths when the driver tested positive for pot increased by 66 percent from the four-year period before pot became legal in 2013 to the four-year period afterwards.

During the same time period, traffic-related deaths overall (regardless of whether marijuana played a part) increased by only 16 percent.

What’s more, in 2006, just 33 out of the 535 total statewide traffic fatalities included a driver testing positive for pot. But by 2016, that number grew to 123 out of 608 auto deaths.

So over a 10-year period, the percentage of total auto fatalities where drivers tested positive for pot increased from 6 percent to just over 20 percent.

This report didn’t delve into the possible reasons behind how marijuana can mess with your driving, but a past study published in Clinical Chemistry, found that it can increase your chances of risky behaviors like lane weaving, steering issues, and late braking.

It also can trigger changes in your mental processing, which can make driving problematic, too. These include things like slower reaction time and difficulty maintaining attention—two things that can be deadly when you’re going 70 on the highway. (Plus, here are other ways experts know pot affects your entire body.)

Marijuana Health Report:

While the results here are concerning, they can’t definitively prove that the legalization of pot caused these increases in deaths. For instance, the report notes that even when they’re referring to phrases like “marijuana-related” or “tested positive for marijuana,” it doesn’t necessarily prove that marijuana was the cause of the incident.

Plus, there are issues regarding the testing of marijuana after these accidents. For one, tests can only show that you used marijuana, not necessarily that you were impaired by it, as we reported.

Still, there is enough evidence out there to support that you shouldn’t mix pot and driving, whether or not smoking it recreationally is legal where you live. Alcohol is legal too, and you wouldn’t take a few shots and get behind the wheel, right? (For more health news delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our Daily Dose newsletter.)

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